Kiran Kumar Grandhi is the current chairman and co-owner of the Delhi Capitals, and the driving force behind the GMR Group’s success, find out more about him and his biography
Grandhi recently made headlines following his intense bidding war with Preity Zinta for Shreyas Iyer during the IPL 2025 Auction.
Who is Delhi Capitals co-owner Kiran Kumar Grandhi aka Taklu uncle as his memes go viral, biography, age, family, wife, education, business and net worth
Kiran Kumar Grandhi would’ve easily won Man of the Match if IPL auctions had such awards pic.twitter.com/7n7xDPgj6Q
— Statpadder (@The_statpadder) November 25, 2024
Grandhi has gained prominence for securing major airport projects globally and leading the development of highways across India.
Delhi Capitals’s battle for Shreyas Iyer
The IPL 2025 Mega Auction witnessed an intense bidding war for former KKR batsman Shreyas Iyer between Preity Zinta’s Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Kiran Kumar Grandhi’s Delhi Capitals (DC). PBKS eventually secured Iyer for a record-breaking ₹26.75 crore, making him the most expensive player in IPL auction history.
Ahead of the auctions, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released Iyer after he missed the entire 2023 season following a back injury. Back in 2022, KKR bought him for ₹12.25 crore after seven seasons as captain with the Delhi Capitals (DC).
Kiran Kumar Grandhi bio
Kiran Kumar Grandhi is an Indian business tycoon who was born on in 1975, and he is currently 49-years-old. He is the younger son of Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao, Chairperson of GMR Group. Kiran currently serves as the Chairman and co-owner of IPL team Delhi Capitals and has been a part of the GMR Group’s Board ever since 1999.
Kiran Kumar Grandhi has worked with the GMR group for over 24 years and held several leadership positions. Currently, he is the Corporate Chairman of GMR Group overseeing Group Finance and Corporate Strategy, Planning & Development and is also a Member of the Group Holding Board, GMR Group in addition to leading the sports business.
Earlier he headed the GMR Group’s Finance function and the Shared Services and then led Highways, Construction, SEZs and allied businesses (excluding Airports SEZ) and Sports.
Kiran Kumar Grandhi is married to Ms Ragini Kiran Grandhi who is a Director of GMR Varalakshmi Foundation and he has two sons, GM Ruchir who was present at the IPL 2025 mega auction and GM Riddhiman.
Education
Kiran Kumar Grandhi holds a bachelor degree in commerce from the Vivekananda College in Chennai.
Profession and career
As a board member, Grandhi has played a major role in securing several major infrastructure projects for the GMR Group. He has mainly secured them through public-private partnerships with both the central and state governments. Grandhi played a crucial role in the successful bids for several major international airports like Hyderabad, Delhi, Istanbul, and Male. He has also helped in expediting the construction of Terminal 3 at Delhi Airport.
Kiran Kumar Grandhi also works as the former Chairman of Urban Infrastructure & Highways and manages a significant portfolio of around 1,200 kilometres of highways across 10 major projects. Aside from their infrastructure projects, he has also played a key role in expanding the GMR Group’s presence in sports. Notably, he is responsible for the acquisition and management of the Delhi Capitals. He currently oversees the group’s finance and corporate strategic planning divisions.
Net worth
Kiran Kumar Grandhi has a massive estimated net worth of over ₹14,200 crore or $1.9 billion.